What is the truth about Bleaching?

I've been debating coloring my hair for a year. The actually hair dye doesn't scare me, it's the bleaching. I really need some information about bleaching. First off does it ruin my hair? I don't want different color hair if it's hard as a brick. And secondly if I bleach my hair once am I doing to have to dye it for the rest of my life? Does it ever grow out?

Dyeing or bleaching your hair (providing you use dye to do it, not chemicals around the house) will not harm it much if you do it once. You will sacrifice some hair health, but you should still be able to grow it longer, though not as fast because you will need trims more frequently. Dye it twice, and you will start to notice some damage, such as dry ends and you will have to use a heavy conditioner.

The risk there is if you don't go to a salon and see a colorist. If you go and have what you want done right the first time, you should be fine. If you try to do it yourself at home, you may mess up and have to dye it more than once to get it fixed. Remember that the dyes you see in the drugstore will probably not come out the color you see on the hair swatch...it always depends on the base of the color, which they don't tell you, and what color your hair starts out as. That's why I say let a professional do it, so you won't sacrifice hair health.

My hair is fine, wavy, and I have a lot of hair. Bleaching never did too much damage to my hair, I alway thought it made my fine hair more manageable as far as being able to style it the way I wanted to.

However, if you have very dark hair, or overbleach it, I'm sure it could damage it.

I would go with highlights from a pro if I wasn't sure. (See my hair nightmare!!!!) Look for someone with hair similar to yours that has been highlighted and looks good and ask them where they got theirs done.

Good luck!